Fabric-guide.



S. W. AVIS.

FABRIC APPLICATION FILED AUG. l. m4.

GUIDE.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

F R-Ei- ED s'rarns PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL W. AVIS, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE MACHINE COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

FABRIC-GUIDE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Application filed August 1, 1914. Serial No. 854,515.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL WV. Avis, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Fabric-Guides; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specifi cation, and to the characters of reference thereon.

My invention relates to sewing machines and objects of the said invention are: to provide an apparatus whereby material to be operated upon by the stitch forming mechanism of a sewing machine may be presented to the said mechanism in an improved manner; to provide apparatus whereby an overseam stitch may be applied to loosely woven fabric, knitted goods or any soft material in an improved manner; and to provide improved devices whereby the edges of knit goods and the like may be joined by an overseam with greater ease and with more perfect results than heretofore.

The above and other objects of this invention will hereinafter become apparent.

In the drawings: Figure l is an elevation of a machine embodying features of my invention. Sufiicient of the machine is shown to illustrate the manner in which my invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a plan view 6. looking from the top of the Fig. l) of the embodiment of my invention shown, together with some parts of the machine. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 and in the same elevation, including some of the elements shown in Fig. 2 and showing a piece of fabric being operated upon. Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line d'i= of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the feed and showing two layers of fabric in position. Figs. 5 and 6 are views of the compression block alone, Fig. 6 being an elevation of the said block opposite to that elevation in which the block is shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 being a plan view of the Fig. 6. Figs. 7 and 8 are views of the measuring guide alone, the Fig. 7 being an elevation of the said guide opposite to that elevation in which the guide is shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 8 being a plan view of the Fig. 7.

Throughout the drawings, like characters high toe 22.

of reference denote the same elements or members. 7

The particular embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings is a form, which although particularly designed for selvageseaming knitted fabrics, is suitable for a variety of purposes involving the application of an overseam stitch to the edge of one or more layers of material. This embodiment I have shown applied to a two thread over-seaming machine of the well known Morrow type, wherein: the numeral 1 denotes the usual eyc pointed needle, 2 denotes the usual looper and 3 denotes the usual loop carrier; the entire stitch forming mechanism being and operating substantially as set forth in United States patent to lVilliam I-l. Stedman No. 732,457, issued June 30, 1903.

The numeral 5 indicates the machine frame, 5 the frame head, 6 a support for the needle plate, 7 the forward feed dog and S the rear feed dog. The construction of the sewing machine represented, including the various mechanisms comprising a machine of this type and the operation of the whole, where not involving the novel features of this invention or where not interfering with the proper functioning thereof, may be substantially as set forth in United States patents to William H. Stedman No. 1,071,818, issued September 2, 1913; and Joseph M. Merrow No. 1,074,968, issued. October 7 1913.

Referring now more particularly to my invention as herein shown embodied and applied, the numeral 10 denotes a needle plate which is adapted to be secured to the support (3 by the screws 11.

The numeral 20 denotes the presser foot which is preferably provided with an extra wide and large sole 21 and an extra long and This presser foot is carried by the frame head 5 in the usual manner by means of the shank 23. On the laterally extending portion of the needle plate, e. on a portion of the needle plate extending out beyond the edge of the fabric, I place an edge compressing member denoted as a whole by the numeral 30. This compressing member is provided with the fabric compressing wall 31 which is arranged vertically, in a plane parallel to the rising and falling movement of the presser foot and in a plane inclined laterally with'respect to the direction in which the fabric is fed, the said wall inclining from a point outside and beyond the edge of the fabric toward the edge of the fabric and the line of sewing as the said wall 31 extends in the direction of the feed, as is well shown in Figs. 2 and 3..

At the terminus of the wall 31, and pref-- erably just abreast of the needle 1, the compressing member is provided with a short retaining wall 32 which wall is preferably arranged in a plane parallel to a plane in which the path of the needle and the line of the direction of the feed will simultaneously lie. The wall 32 terminates with a rounded edge 33 and the upper corner 3% of the wall 32 'ispreferably rounded as is shown in Fig. l. The member 30 is secured to the uppe' side of the needle plate 10 by means of a shank 35 having an elongated slot 36 there- -through, the side 36 the side 37 of the shank 35, and hrough which slot passes the screw 38, which screw is threaded into the needle plate 10, as is best shown in Fig. 4. The said member 30 is thus laterally ad ustable with relation to the line ofthe direction of the'feed, and the proper pos1t1on1ng and annement or the said member is maintained throughout all of 1ts lateral ad ustments by the constram ment effected through the engagement of the screw body 38 with the side 36 of the slot 36 and the engagement of the side 37 of the shank 35 with the side 41 of the shank 42 of themeasuring guide, which guide is denoted as a whole by the numeral 4:0; since the shank 42 is slidably constrained and guided by the projection l3 which projection enters and engages the spline ll the needle plate 10. In the shanlr as of th' measuring guideO is a slot 47 similar to the slot 36 through which slot passes the screw l-l, which screw is threaded into the needle plate 10, whereby the said measuring guide is secured to the needle plate and is adjustable laterally with relation to the line of feed. The measuring guide presents a fabric engaging wall which wall is arranged substantially parallel to the line of feed and which is usually parallel throughout with the wall The front edge 26 and the upper corner 16 thereof, are preferably rounded as is shown in the drawings.

To the upper side of the foot of the presser foot 20 is secured a compression block denoted as a whole by the numeral 50.

This block is secured to the presser foot by means of a shank 51 having elongated slot 52 through which passes the screw 53,

which screw is threaded into the foot of the presser foot. The block is laterally'adjust- 'able with respect to the line of feed and is slidably constrained and held in proper alinement with respect to the member 30 by means of the projection 54: which projection of which is parallel to enters and engages theflspline 25 in the presser foot. The block is provided with the depending compressing head 55 having a fabric or compressing surface 56 the forward face 57, or that face or portion that the fabric approaches and first engages, being upwardly inclined or generously rounded at the bow as is shown at 57*. The surface 56 is preferably disposed in a plane 00- incident with the plane of the presser foot sole and the depending head 55 is designed to be interposed between the side or edge 26 of the presser foot and the wall 31 of the compressing guide 30, with the wall 58 always in intimate engagement with the wall 31. The side 26 of the press'er fcotand the wall 59 of the block should abut when the block is in its extreme inner or left hand position of adjustment and the wall 58 and the sideor edge '27 of the presser foot should be in line and should also both enunusually long, slender and only slightly tapering chaining finger 15, as best shown in Fig. 2 and as hereinafter more fully explained. V

' T will now describe more particularly the manner of using the apparatus shown and described and the improved manner in which an overedge seam or finish may be applied to a fabric, using the joining of two pieces or layers of ribbed knit goods or sweater material (represented in the Figs. 3 and 4 and denoted by the characters F and F) by a series of two thread overseam stitches toform an overedge seam, (as shown in the upper right hand portion of the F ig. 3, the seam being denoted as a whole by the character 8,) as an illustration, and assuming at the outset that the apparatusbe adjusted substantially as shown in the drawings. The fabric, F V

and F, is placed between the presser-foot and the forward feed dog 7 in the usual manner with the edges 7 and f engaging the wall 45 of the measuring guide 40. The feeddog [7 grasps the fabric and feeds the same to the needle 1 in the usual manner. As the fabric approaches the needle 1n the usual manner,

the sides of the edges f and f of the said fabric encounterthe wall 31 of the compressing member 30 as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and, due to the motion imparted to the fabric by the feed, the direction of which motion is indicated by the arrow in Fig.3, the edges f fabric is advanced by the feed dogs.

and f of the fabric are forced laterally, to the left as viewed in Figs. 3 and el, and, since the fabric is clamped firmly between the ample feeding surface and the presser foot sole, thus being held against lateral movement, ordinarily, only that portion of the fabric lying between the line of the feed dog 7 and the plane of the wall of the guide 40 Will be affected when the edges f, f of the fabric are crowded to the left by the wall 31 as may be seen from Fig. 3.

At or about the same time that the wall 31 begins to crowd the fabric edges to the left, the top of the edge f encounters the inclined or rounded portion 57 of the compression block (which the fabric approaches from the left as viewed in Fig. 6) whereby the edges of the fabric are crowded under the surface 56 and between the surface 56 and the upper side of the needle plate. Therefore, since the fabric is held against being moved to the right by the action of the wall 31 on the edges thereof, and since the edges 7" and f are prevented from bulging by the constrainment effected between the surface 56 and the upper side of the needle plate or,'if they have already begun to bulge they are again crowded down under the surface 56 by the portion 57, it is apparent that the structure of the fabric must become compressed, and that the said structure of the fabric will be compressed chiefly laterally i. e. to the left, as shown in Fig. 3. In other words the upper face of needle plate 10, the wall 31, and surface 56 of compression block 50, form a channel through which the fabric edges pass as the This channel, from its mouth to its termination adjacent to the point of stitch formation is tapered or gradually constricted so that during advancing movement ofthe fabric, the edges thereof are compacted progressively until the maximum compression is effected just in advance of the point at which the securing stitches are applied.

When the feeding movement of the fabric has stopped and the feeding surface has dropped below the needle plate, the ample surface of the presser foot sole clamps the fabric down on the upper surface of the needle plate and holds the fabric in the compressed condition in which the said fabric exists when the feed becomes disengaged therefrom. The feed and the presser foot, and, the presser foot and the needle plate continue to cooperate with the members 30, 40 and 50 in the manner set forth, the feed and presser foot operating to feed the fabric in a direction inclined to the longitudinal extent of the wall 31, and the presser foot and needle plate operating to hold the fabric during the intervening time between the feeding movements; the fabric becoming more and more compressed until, reaching the retaining wall 32 abreast of the point of needle penetration in a state of maximum lateral compression, the fabric is presented to the needle. The needle then cooperates with the stitch forming implements 2 and 3 in the usual manner to form an overseam stitch that passes through a point in the compressed fabric and around the edge of the said compressed fabric and the chaining finger 15 simultaneously while the fabric encompassed by the said stitch is still in its compressed state. This operation is contin: uously repeated in the formation of a seam, such as is represented by S in Fig. 3, the compressed fabric edges being held together and bound by a stitch such as is represented in Fig. 3 and indicated by the characters N and L, (the former indicating the needle loop and the latter the looper loop) before the said edges leave the end 33 of the retaining wall 32. Since the formed stitches, while still surrounding the chaining finger and the fabric, are relied upon, to some extent to assist in the holding of the compressed fabric edge against the retaining wall 32,

ratus and therefore such a finger is preferably provided.

The Fig. 3 is intended to illustrate the improved manner in which an edge to be overseamed is first prepared and the manner in which the overseam is then applied.

In the illustrated example, for the sake of clearness, a rather wide seam is represented. In this case the rib r of the fabric, the grooved portion 9 and the rib 1" are shown compressed until at the point of needle penetration, the two ribs and the grooved portion have become narrower than the normal width of the rib 'r'. The stitch is formed over the fabric while thus compressed, the needle preferably penetrating the center of the rib 1" and the resulting seam S, is in this case represented as being only about half the width of a seam formed over the same amount of fabric in the ordinary well known manner without the use of my invention, although far greater reduction is often effected. To secure a narrower seam, the member 30 is adjusted to set the retaining wall 32 closer to the needle, the said wall 32 in some adjusted posi- I tions being adapted to prevent any undue deflection of the needle. As has been heremabove stated, whenever the member 30 is adjusted, the member 50 must be adjusted accordingly. hen greater compression of the fabric is desired, the lateral distance between the walls 32 and 415 is increased and when less compression is desired, the lateral distance therebetween is diminished, 2'. e. the farther the plane of the wall 4C5 lies to the right of the plane of the wall 32, as viewed in Figs. :2 and 3, the greater will be the compression and, vice versa.

With the use of the apparatus of my invention, an extremely narrow, very strong and close seam may be produced in an improved manner, the resulting seam being soft, flexible, ridgeless and practically invisible when the fabric is opened out flat, the line of junction of the fabric being very dirficult to distinguish from the adjacent fabric. Another matter of importance is, that fabric is more easily covered or joined than heretofore, e. g. in the case of joining two edges of sweater material, it is not so serious a matter if the two edges are somewhat uneven or do not properly register, for, provided that the variation does not too much exceed the lateral distance between the walls 32 and so, the edges will be sure to be caught by the needle, and in many cases of fabric with ragged edges or fabric having gaps or bad spots in the edges, if the case be not too extreme, the edges may be strongly sewed and well covered for either joining or finishing, by suitably adjusting the apparatus. It is obvious that goods may also be sewed across the wale.

While the adjustment of the apparatus shown depends largely upon the character of the material to be operated upon and upon the character of seam desired, in general it may be said in regard toadjustments of the members 30 and i0 to produce a given character of seam, that when. soft material or material with a soft, a. loose or a ragged edge is to be operated upon, the wall 32 is usually best set closer to the needle than is desirable when material to be operated upon is hard or has a firm and regular or finished edge. In the case of the member 40, when soft material or material with a soft, a loose Or a ragged edge is to be operated upon, the wall 45 is usually set at a greater distance to the right of the plane in which the wall 32 lies than is desirable when material to be operated upon is hard or has a firm, regular or finished edge.

Having thus set forth a practical embodiment and an application of the principle of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

In an overseaming machine including a throat plate and a presserfoot, the combination of a fabric engaging element adjustably supported by the presserfoot and provided with an edge inclined to the line of feed, a fabric edge engaging element adjustably secured to the throat. plate and having a fabric engaging surface extending in parallelism with the inclined edge of the presserfoot supported element, an edge guide adjustably secured to the throat plate and means for positively maintaining parallelism of the said adjustable elements throughout their respective ranges of adjustment.

SAMUEL WV. AVIS. Witnesses:

GLAnYs H. WHITE, GEORGE ALLEN PAGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C. 

